Last month, an Oklahoma jury found 29-year-old Daniel Holtzclaw guilty of rape and sexual assault of 13 Black women. On Thursday, the judge announced that Holtzclaw will spend the rest of his life in prison.
To refresh your memory, Holtzclaw is the former police officer who preyed on these women while he was on patrol between 2013 and 2014. The prosecution presented evidence showing that he:
“ran background checks and went after those who had outstanding warrants, previous arrests or carried drugs or drug paraphernalia.“
Once he found what he needed, he would corner the women with this evidence and then raped, sodomized, or sexually abused them.
The prosecution also argued that Holtzclaw thought he could get away with it because who would believe them; after all, he was an “honorable police officer.”
This ‘honorable’ officer, however, angrily stared down his victims while they bravely testified. The jury must have witnessed Holtzclaw’s attempt of further intimidation.
The defense attorney attempted to argue that Holtzclaw was in fact a good officer, “whose victims misinterpreted his efforts to help them.”
It is unclear how rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse are a misinterpretation of any officer’s assistance.
The jury didn’t buy this either. Holtzclaw may have thought that no one would believe these women, but he was completely wrong because this jury did. They found him guilty on 18 counts of rape and sexual assault.
When the jury read the guilty verdict last month, Holtzclaw broke down in tears. Did he think his tears would warrant a new trial or reduce the recommended sentencing?
On Wednesday, Holtzclaw’s attorney filed a motion for a new trial. He claimed that the “DNA evidence had been omitted from the investigation.” The defense’s motion was denied.
Instead of agreeing to a new trial, the judge felt that Holtzclaw deserves life in prison. Rather than merely stating Holtzclaw was sentenced to life, the judge agreed with the jury’s recommendation and sentenced Holtzclaw to 263 years. Some may argue that 263 years is a harsh sentencing, but others believe that this disgusting human being deserves a lot worse.
Unsurprisingly, Holtzclaw plans to appeal.
Watch ABC News coverage and victims’ responses here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVjwe3ibTwQ
Featured image is a screenshot of this Youtube video.
